


Partnership

by OSuzanne (Emiline)



Category: Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Introspection, Partnership
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-08-24
Updated: 2009-08-24
Packaged: 2017-10-05 03:56:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 314
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/37555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emiline/pseuds/OSuzanne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>NIchols has been watching Eames closely. He and Eames work well together, and Nichols wonders if he'll ever have a true partnership with his actual partner. Spoilers for Season 8 of Law and Order: Criminal Intent</p>
            </blockquote>





	Partnership

**Author's Note:**

> Law and Order Criminal Intent belongs to Dick Wolf and NBC.

Nichols has been watching Eames since he returned to the police force. Not just her specifically of course, he watches everything, and watches closely. Since she became his temporary partner however, he has been paying special attention to her.

Though naturally neither of them has mentioned it, Nichols knows Eames knows he has been scrutinizing her these past few weeks. He also knows she's not bothered by it. Unlike Wheeler, Eames is used to being the object of close examination. After all, she's been Goren's partner for seven years and Goren studies everything, minutely and with an intensity as yet unparalleled. She wouldn't be put off or made uncomfortable by Nichols' gaze.

Nichols notices immediately that Eames is perfectly comfortable working with him. She treats him no differently for all his quirks. It amuses him that she is more comfortable with him than his own partner is. Only recently has Wheeler begun to respond to him with something that may one day resemble the kind of trust critical to successful partnerships.

Eames cannot follow Nichols' trains of thought, but she does not let that paralyze her. She is willing to work with him, which is more than he can say, some days, of Wheeler. He and Eames work well together, he thinks. If they were partnered permanently, he's certain Eames would learn to read him as well as she reads Goren. He likes Eames. She's a good cop, and a good and interesting person.

By the time Wheeler returns from maternity leave, Nichols has been working with Eames long enough to know he'll miss her when she returns to working full time with Goren.

"I require adult supervision?" he asks Wheeler, one eyebrow raised, and a hint of amusement in his voice.

She rolls her eyes and gives him a tiny smile. "You need to ask?"

Perhaps he and Wheeler will be partners yet.

**Author's Note:**

> In the episode "Major Case", Eames tells Nichols that Wheeler told her Nichols requires adult supervision.


End file.
